Now Playing: quiet of an 11pm home...
Current Mood : Sarcastic and bitter, like a good coffee.
Current Pattern Notes : I'm not sure exactly what the name of this one is. It was sent to me from the pattern group - and I love it ! It made Shinobu and Janice's clothes. Yup, whole thing's in Japanese, but the line drawings make the language unnecessary. Lots more I want to make from this !
Getting better by increments. Sorry to have neglected the site and blog so much, I really had to budget my energy for a few days. There's still not much going on, but at least I got to write something !
Perused Black Friday ads. If you're not in the US, you may be unfamiliar with this charming tradition. Basically, large-ish stores like anything ending in Mart dump merchandise they've struggled all year to sell the day after Thanksgiving. It sells on that particular Friday - even if it didn't sell all year - because it's been discounted.
Now, anyone who's worked in sales can tell you that you can easily discount something 50% if there's a 600% markup on it in the first place, and the buyer has no idea what the wholesale price is. Just that it's been on the floor gathering dust for $1000. for six months. Offer it for $750. for three hours - say, from 5am to 8am on just one day of the year - and folks will literally trample children and sacrifice family time to get it. Never mind the fact that the store only paid $500. for it to begin with...and you have a deal with Big TV Manufacturer to ‘let' these go, since the New and Improved will be hitting your store in February...
Yeah, I'm leaving out many important details. But here Stateside, it's less about being happy with what you have on Thanksgiving and increasingly about the hunger and hunt for more, better, and latest. And most of this stuff's not 'gifts', unless you count that big-azz TV as a 'family' one. Why else would someone start queuing for electronics as soon as they've pushed away from the bounty of treats on the table ? And it gets more ridiculous every year.
I've bowed out. It's not any noble sacrifice or anything, it's self-preservation. Last Black Friday I dared to venture out, I darn near got mowed down by some huge black compensation vehicle, piloted by a woman talking on a cell phone, McBreakfast in the other hand, ruckus of kids or other shopping adults audible in the back. With all that going on, she didn't have time to pilot her ‘safety' vehicle, and I doubt she ever saw me. Also got to witness a screaming match that probably came to blows over a disputed parking space, and a fender bender. All in the same parking lot. I vowed ‘never again', and that was three years ago. Plus there aren't any good doll sales this year. (giggle)
Now, I may bend my own rules a bit. Kohl's has these sweater ornaments that look fantastic on Tonner dolls like Elphie and Fiyero. And Friday, they're 60% off before 1pm. So I may go out about noon, since nearly all the ‘big' sales are over by then. If I don't get ‘em, that's fine. I've come to the point where I don't want much, and even the stuff I do want isn't a big crave. Plus, of the great folks who took photos of their dolls I the sweaters, no one says how much they are ! Even the Kohl's website doesn't have ‘em. So they may be too expensive even with the discount. I'm not too upset either way.
Guess a good lung-rattling cold will do that to ya !
